Forever, Interrupted

"Touching and powerful...Reid masterfully grabs hold of the heartstrings and doesn't let go. A stunning first novel." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)"Have you ever heard of supernovas? They shine brighter than anything else in the sky and then fade out really quickly, a short burst of extraordinary energy. I like to think you and Ben were like that . . . in that short time, you had more passion than some people have in a lifetime." Elsie Porter is an average twentysomething and yet what happens to her is anything but ordinary. On a rainy New Year's Day, she heads out to pick up a pizza for one. She isn't expecting to see anyone else in the shop, much less the adorable and charming Ben Ross. Their chemistry is instant and electric. Ben cannot even wait twenty-four hours before asking to see her again. Within weeks, the two are head over heels in love. By May, they've eloped. Only nine days later, Ben is out riding his bike when he is hit by a truck and killed on impact. Elsie hears the sirens outside her apartment, but by the time she gets downstairs, he has already been whisked off to the emergency room. At the hospital, she must face Susan, the mother-in-law she has never met—and who doesn't even know Elsie exists. Interweaving Elsie and Ben's charmed romance with Elsie and Susan's healing process, Forever, Interrupted will remind you that there's more than one way to find a happy ending.

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This is a raw, emotional story about a young woman coming to terms with the unexpected death of her husband. Elsie and Ben have a whirlwind romance and elope after just six months together. When Ben dies unexpectedly, just days after they are married, Elsie is left to take care of the arrangements with her mother-in-law, Susan, who knows nothing of Ben and Elsie's marriage.

Forever, Interrupted interweaves the story of Ben and Elsie's brief romance with Elsie's process of healing after Ben's death. It feels like a very honest portrayal - Taylor Jenkins Reid does not spare us from the gut-wrenching, selfish, and painful thoughts and feelings that can accompany grief. Be sure to have tissues on hand for this one - you'll laugh and cry, often at the same time.

In case you were wondering, the back of the book tells us her husband dies but what made me cry was that he dies in the first chapter, not even 10 pages in. The flashbacks made me forget that he was dead. It was touching.

An intriquing, if non-linear, romance:
Husband dies nine days after the
wedding. The courtship is shown via
flashback, and the narrator is shown
dealing with the aftermath of the
husband's death--and making friends with a relunctant mother-in-law! The big issue I had with this novel: The driver who kills the husband also dies--and is completely ignored!! Uhmm, didn't this destroy their family life also??